American lotus is an aquatic plant that can cover large areas. The leaves are blue green, circular, without a V-shaped notch, extremely variable in size, to 2 feet wide, and can shed water. The stem is attached in the center. They are normally held above the water level on long stems, though young leaves float.

American pondweed, or longleaf pondweed (Potamogeton nodosus), is one of our native pondweeds that can grow rampantly and become a nuisance plant in ponds and lakes. When they grow excessively, it can be due to excessive nutrients entering the water, such as farm and fertilizer runoff or leaky septic systems.

American water willow is common on gravel bars and other stream banks throughout much of Missouri. The dense colonies of emergent stems have leaves like a willow’s, but the two-lipped flowers resemble little orchids.

American water willow is common on gravel bars and other stream banks throughout much of Missouri. The dense colonies of emergent stems have leaves like a willow’s, but the two-lipped flowers resemble little orchids.

The flowers of water willow are nothing like the catkins of true willows. They are clustered into headlike groups and are about ¾ inch long with a notched upper lip and a 3-lobed lower lip. The upper lip is light purple, rarely white; the lower lip white or pale purple with purple markings. It blooms May through October.

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